The Mercedes-Benz Formula Zero is a race car concept designed for 2025. The Formula Zero was created for the 2008 LA Auto Show Design Challenge.
The Formula Zero Racer incorporates the thrill of Formula One, the track dynamics of the bobsled or luge, and the grace and efficiency of yacht racing.
Reminiscent of the Mercedes Benz racing heritage of the 1930's, the Mercedes Formula Zero Racer concept is loaded with technology designed to extract the maximum thrust from the electric hub motors, aero-efficient solar skin and high-tech rigid sail.
Each team is allocated the same amount of stored energy and it is left to the teams and drivers to manage the variables to win the race. The winner is determined by total elapsed time combined with the energy efficiency factor.
Spectators at the Mercedes Benz Formula Zero racing Series would be treated to a new dimension of racing as the transparent track is visible from all perspectives - even from below
Mercedes-Benz BlitzenBenz concept
The Mercedes-Benz BlitzenBenz concept was created by George Yoo, a designer at Mercedes-Benz Research and Development in Carlsbad, California. The BlitzenBenz was developed during his final year at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena.
The BlitzenBenz is an innovative and thought provoking concept which was designed as a futuristic racing vehicle to be used for testing and evaluating cutting edge technology. According to Yoo - "The BlitzenBenz is a statement of history coming back to influence the future. With Mercedes' long lived racing heritage."
The design of the BlitzenBenz concept was inspired by two very different sources. The original Blitzen-Benz from 1909 provided the overall idea for the vehicle, with it's elongated tubular shape and rearward cab positioning. However it was the influence of Alex Erlandson and his work of creating "sculptures" from trees which were grown into certain shapes or patterns which gave Yoo the idea of, "what if automotive parts were to be grown and tamed to hold certain shapes".
Obviously the technology is not quite there yet to create such a vehicle, but the current research into nanotechnology is paving the way for intelligent and adaptable components which can be grown instead of manufactured. It's an incredibly interesting prospect which would completely alter the way cars are built, maintained, upgraded and recycled.
The exterior structure of the BlitzenBenz is designed to act as a base for the organic structure to sprout out from and form itself around. The individual wheel pods are held in place by this organic component. These can can sense whenever the electric motors inside need to be cooled, the structure would then open up - similar to how a plant opens up to receive sunlight or water.
The cool-blue lighting system of the vehicle was inspired by the bioluminescent capabilities of deep sea creatures.
Powering the Mercedes-Benz BlitzenBenz is an advanced next-generation Hygenius hybrid hydrogen engine and four in-wheel electric motors. In the side pocket of the car, just below the cockpit, is a hydrogen storage tank that shows the fuel level in a small window to provide a visual sense of water being recycled throughout the vehicle - as if it maintains itself.
Mercedes-Benz Mojave Runner concept
The Mercedes-Benz Mojave Runner concept was one of the entrants into the 2006 Los Angeles Auto show's 'LA Adventure' design competition. A competition in which the participants chose an activity available in the southern California area, and then designed a vehicle for that purpose.
Designed at Mercedes-Benz Advanced Design of North America, the highly advanced Mojave Runner is a gas-electric hybrid dune-buggy designed to survive in extreme weather conditions and inhospitable terrain. Like the Mojave Desert of southern California.
Features of the Mojave Runner include night vision, a sandstorm radar and GPS sensors. Equipped with a hydrogen fuel cell generator, the Mojave Runner is able to provide electrical power for onboard tools and rescue equipment. The strong, lightweight exoskeleton frame is a combination of carbon-fiber and pressurized aluminum tubing that stores air for powering pneumatic power tools.
The Mojave Runner also uses intelligent adaptive tires which automatically adjust their tread depth to maximize performance both on and off the road.
Mercedes-Benz F700 concept
The Mercedes F 700 which went on display at the 2007 Frankfurt Motor Show is a concept for a future luxury touring sedan which combines high levels of environmental friendliness, good performance and low fuel consumption.
The styling of the Mercedes F 700 comes from the Mercedes-Benz Advanced Design Studio in Irvine, California. Here the designers looked to nature for influences when designing the F 700 concept. "Aqua Dynamic" is what the designers term this design idiom. A direct connection to this design theme is the "back fin" which appears on the roof; it is used for antennas, the reversing camera and the third brake light.
The side view of the Mercedes F 700 concept is defined by highly tense curves. This is true of the roof contour, but especially of the concise shoulder line: it starts out by continuing the line created by the front wheel arch a short way, and then carries over in a sweeping curve to the rear end.
The distinctive front arches of the F 700 are similar to those of the current S-Class. But with the F 700 the theme has been taken further and the fenders have been distinctly sculpted. The door handles are recessed and the exterior mirrors highly stylized. The large 21-inch wheels of the F 700 are designed to imitate turbine blades.
The Mercedes F 700 concept is the first car that can recognize the condition of the road ahead and level out the uneven spots with its active PRE-SCAN suspension, improving suspension comfort substantially. The F 700 also sets standards in regard to road roar and tire vibration. With two laser scanners the active PRE-SCAN suspension scans the roadway in front of the car. The hydraulically controlled active suspension compensates for detected road problems, such as potholes or small bumps, enabling a further improvement in comfort.
Inside the Mercedes F 700 concept features a versatile seating arrangement. The REVERSE seat is a completely new design thought out for the right rear seat, permitting individual seat positions both facing the direction of travel and in the opposite direction. At the push of a button the innovative seat swivels in the opposite direction. From here the occupant can hold a confidential chat face to face with someone on the left rear seat. They can work, enjoy the entertainment system or simply take a rest. Owing to the REVERSE seat’s variability, the F 700 sedan affords entirely new freedoms for traveling in complete ease.
Mercedes-Benz F800 concept
Mercedes-Benz will make public long-held plans for a new entry-level four-door coupé at next months Geneva motor show, with the unveiling of the F800 Style.
The new four-door concept previews the styling, dimensions and packaging of a replacement for the CLC, which should reach UK showrooms by the end of 2013. Described to Autocar as a baby brother to the larger and more opulent CLS, the new car will form part of Mercedes-Benzs next-generation A and B-class family.
It will share its front-wheel drive mechanical architecture with those cars, although this concept is also designed to show off a new modular rear-wheel drive platform. There will also be a four-wheel-drive, 300bhp turbocharged AMG range-topper.
The F800s exterior dimensions are said to be very close to the production cars. At 4738mm long, 1938mm wide and 1445mm high, the car will also be similar in size to the forthcoming C-class coupé, a two-door version of todays C-class due this time next year.
Unlike that car, which will look more like a two-door saloon, the production F800 will have a more radical profile overlaid with futuristic styling referenced first by the Mercedes-Benz Bionic and, more recently, by the BlueZero line of concept cars.
This new look has been overseen by Mercedes recently appointed design boss, Gorden Wagener, who has taken little time in stamping his mark on the look of the firms future models, first with the Concept Fascination shown at 2008s Paris motor show and now with the F800 Style.
Apart from removing the concept car flourishes such as the complex sliding rear doors, 20in wheels (with narrow 215/45 low-resistance tyres) and futuristic interior architecture, the production car will look much like the F800.
There will be some alterations to satisfy crash regulations and the like, but the character will remain much the same, a Mercedes source revealed. You will instantly recognise it again, even though well have to wait a few years until it finds its way into showrooms.
The cars appearance also previews the second-gen CLS thats due to be unveiled at
this Septembers Paris show — including its SLS-inspired soft front grille, extreme bodywork creases, coupé-like roofline, high-set bootlid and wide, angular tail-lights.
The production coupé will use Mercedes new MFA platform. Developed to replace the firms expensive sandwich-floor architecture, it will also be used in the A and B-classes and a new small SUV. It can support differing wheelbase and track widths.
The F800 Style has a lengthy wheelbase of 2924mm that provides it with ultra-short front and rear overhangs and a roomy interior, with up to 440 litres of luggage space.
But the car is not just about previewing a new coupé. It has also been created to showcase developments in Mercedes hybrids and fuel cells, as well as a new modular rear-drive platform that will feature in the new C-class, due in 2015.
The first of these powertrain concepts features a new turbocharged, 3.5-litre, direct-injection V6 petrol engine producing 300bhp. It is supported by a 109bhp electric motor mounted inside the seven-speed automatic gearbox. Its powered by a lithium ion battery sited low down beneath the rear seat for optimum weight distribution and a low centre of gravity.
Like the hybrid system developed by Volkswagen for the new Touareg, the F800 uses an automatic decoupling clutch. When the driver lifts off the throttle, a clutch positioned between the engine and the electric motor opens to disconnect them. This set-up is designed to use the cars momentum to achieve optimum battery recharging through the electric motor, which acts as an alternator to collect kinetic energy.
Mercedes-Benzs figures claim a 0-62mph time of 4.8sec and a 155mph top speed for the F800 hybrid, with combined fuel consumption of 97mpg and CO2 emissions of 68g/km. It can also travel on electric power alone for almost 19 miles, during which top speed is limited to 75mph.
The F800 Style has also been designed to accommodate a new fuel cell as part of the second stage of a customer lease programme. The first phase was kicked off recently by the B-class Fuel Cell, which will soon be available to selected customers.
Packaged completely within the new cars front end structure, the fuel cell feeds a slightly more powerful electric motor than its petrol engine-assisted hybrid sibling, producing 136bhp.
The 0-62mph time is put at 11.0sec, while top speed is limited to 112mph. With claimed consumption of just 0.9kg of hydrogen per 100km (the equivalent of three litres of diesel per 100km), overall range is put at 373 miles.
Mercedes-Benz CLS Shooting Brake concept
The Mercedes-Benz CLS Shooting Brake concept which will make its world premiere at Auto China 2010 in Beijing is a design based on the company's CLS model which displays a style in keeping with the FASCINATION and F800 Style concepts.
Mercedes-Benz describe the CLS Shooting Brake as a four door coupe. But I think most people will agree that it's more of a station wagon (estate car) than anything else. That's not to say it's a boring family/utility vehicle. Quite the opposite. It has a striking design with a multitude of bold feature lines and powerful haunches.
"The Shooting Break concept car is based on the great tradition of a stylish, cultivated sportiness which has always characterised the great Mercedes Coupés, and it takes this unique legacy an exciting step further," explains Professor Gorden Wagener, chief designer at Mercedes-Benz. "At the same time it points the way towards the future design idiom of Mercedes-Benz."
The CLS Shooting Break concept car is clearly a four-seater. The four identically leather sports seats feature integrated head restraints. Openings in the upper area of the backrests make it possible to see through the seats. A large full-length wood console on the transmission tunnel provides a visual and physical divide between driver and front passenger, while also providing space for two leather covered armrests, cupholders and controls for the rear-seat air conditioning.
The CLS Shooting Brake concept is powered by a pre-production prototype version of Mercedes' new 3.5 litre V6 engine. This highly efficient engine features a start/stop function, the latest piezo-electric injection valves and efficient ancillary components. The engine produces 306 horsepower (225 kW) and 370 Nm of torque.
Mercedes-Benz BlueZERO concept
Mercedes-Benz showed off its new Concept BlueZero. The car is both an example of clean technology and a preview of the styling for the next generation Mercedes B-Class. Like the current A and B class models, this concept uses a sandwich floor design and adds a modular powertrain system. The car is envisioned with three powertrain options depending on the range requirements. The BlueZero E-Cell uses a 35 kWh lithium ion battery pack to provide a 120-mile range, while the BlueZero F-Cell variant gets a 90 kW hydrogen fuel cell for a 240-mile range. The efficiency of the fuel cell version is rated at the equivalent of 81 mpg (US).
The third flavor is the E-Cell Plus and adds a 67-hp three-cylinder engine from the Smart ForTwo mounted in the rear between the sandwich floor layers where the spare tire would normally go. The ER-EV variant cuts the battery size in half as well as the electric-only range. The range extender, however, bumps the total range to 360 miles.
Mercedes also announced that it will begin low-volume series production of the fuel cell B-Class later this year and follow that with low volume series production of a battery electric vehicle in 2010.
Mercedes Benz S-Class concept 2020